In a 27-0 win over Oglethorpe County, the Spartans' quarterback had a hand in all four touchdowns and led his team to a 2-0 start and a win in its home opener.

Athens Academy last started a season 2-0 in 2008 when it finished the year 10-2 and advanced to the second round of the Class A playoffs.

"I felt like I was making some really smart throws," Sanders said. "But it was like last week where I didn't have that many completions. My timing has just been a little off and I have been overthrowing guys."

Sanders completed 5 of 12 passes for 115 yards and three touchdowns in addition to leading the team in rushing with 47 yards and a touchdown on eight carries.

He completed just two of his seven first-half passes, but both went for touchdowns.

On the Spartans' first drive, Sanders connected with James Waugh for a 21-yard touchdown on third-and-7. Just minutes into the second quarter, he found a wide-open Bobby Marshburn for a 61-yard touchdown strike.

"As much as Mark calmed down and looked good in the second and third quarter, he had a shaky start," Athens Academy coach Michael Gunn said. "We just have to get him settled down quicker. He's a great quarterback and we need his leadership."

Oglethorpe County took possession on its own 20-yard line after a failed Spartans field goal, but Patriots quarterback A.J. Hayes fumbled the snap and it was recovered by Waugh.

On the next play, Sanders followed the right side of his line and ran over Hayes on his way to the end zone.

"On the offensive side of the ball, I felt like we executed," Sanders said. "We were firing off the ball and blocking well and the line gave me a lot of space."

Athens Academy rushed for 182 yards and was led by Sanders. Senior Henry Terrell rushed eight times for 38 yards and Taylor Allen added 33 yards on five carries.

The Patriots struggled to find a consistent running game and finished with just 124 yards - half of which came on a 65-yard run by Jarrett Davis on the last play of the game. Despite throwing the ball 21 times, the Patriots finished with just 56 yards in the air.

Oglethorpe County (0-2) was also hindered by nine penalties for a total of 70 yards.

In their season opener, the Spartans had difficulty with penalties, committing eight in the first 12 minutes of the game. On Friday, they committed just six for the entire game, and half of those were block-in-the-back calls on punt returns.

Gunn said that he was encouraged by his team's practices in the week leading up to their game against the Patriots, but he still hasn't seen everything he would like from the Spartans.

"I thought we did some things really well," Gunn said. "I thought the defense played really well. I did not expect to shut them out. ... We still had too many penalties and too many stupid things. Until we get better at that, I don't know how good we can be."

The Spartans and Patriots exchanged more turnovers than points in the third quarter. On the third play of the second half, Athens Academy's Henry Terrell fumbled into the Patriots' hands.

On the very next play, Hayes fumbled a snap to give the ball right back to the Spartans. Athens Academy would turn the ball over twice more on fumbles in the third quarter.

"It got really messy," Gunn said. "It makes me mad that we do it. We made a couple of poor decisions. We have to learn from our mistakes."

The Spartans' most substantial drive of the game ended early in the fourth quarter with Sanders' third touchdown pass of the game, hitting P.J. Blaesing from 23 yards out. Athens Academy went 70 yards on 11 plays to make the score 27-0.

GAME REPORT

Turning point: After the Patriots lost a fumble deep in their own territory, Athens Academy quarterback Mark Sanders rushed up the middle for a 9-yard touchdown to pull ahead 21-0.

Key stat: Sanders had a hand in all four of Athens Academy's touchdowns with three touchdown passes and one touchdown run.

Impact: Athens Academy moves to 2-0 with two games left in its non-region slate. Oglethorpe County loses for the second week in a row to a team with the word "Athens" in its title.